Antibody-mediated causes of male infertility.

It is probable that antisperm antibodies identified directly on a man's sperm's surface correlate best with the presence of antibody-mediated infertility in males. Care must be taken in reviewing the literature regarding antisperm antibodies in men, since many studies are based on measurement of antibodies in the circulation or have utilized antigens (such as solubilized or fixed sperm) that are not on the sperm surface. The results of these assays that are not measuring antibodies against the sperm plasma membrane may not be clinically significant, since the sperm plasma membrane remains intact in sperm participating in in-vivo fertilization until after the acrosome reaction. Treatment of antibody-mediated infertility in the male is difficult at the present time, although newer techniques are promising.